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Among them was his praise for goalie Miikka Kiprusoff in the middle of the 2011-12 season after being asked about the possibility of trading away his No. 1 netminder.

“If we were to trade 34 (Kiprusoff), is there a position lower than 30th?,” was Feaster’s reply just over a year ago. “If we were to trade 34, we’d be sub-30, whatever that number is in a 30-team league.”

A year later, though, the Flames are coming to a crossroads.

Kiprusoff, who’s currently nearing a return from a knee injury suffered Feb. 5, has one more season on his contract after this year before becoming an unrestricted free agent. The 36-year-old netminder no longer has a no-trade clause, and a trade could really kick start a rebuild for the floundering team, which is awfully close to 30th even with him in the fold.

The problem is knowing whether the Flames have a legitimate goalkeeper to take over between the pipes.

Hopes are high Karri Ramo will return to the NHL next season after four seasons in the KHL and be ready for such a task, but that’s something of a guess.

Ramo, who is Flames property but doesn’t have a NHL contract, wasn’t exactly a success story during parts of three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, compiling a 11-21-10 record with a 3.35 goals-against average and .895 save percentage, before heading to Russia.

But, should the Flames make the bold move of dealing Kiprusoff and not receive a proven goalie in return, Ramo, 26, appears their best option after very strong years in the KHL.

After that, they have a handful of netminders in the system due to become unrestricted free-agents, a couple of young pros and then a long-term prospect in 2012 draft choice Jonathan Gillies.

As soon as Kiprusoff becomes a former Flame — and we can’t guess when exactly that will happen, since it may be before this season’s April 3 trade deadline, possibly after the 2013-14 campaign, or it may be when he opts to retire a few years from now — it will definitely mark a new era.

What happens then will certainly be interesting.

Having Kiprusoff around to pair with Ramo could be the ideal transition. The fellow Finns should work well together. From there, it appears the club currently has backup goalies, at best, in the pro ranks.

As much as Joey MacDonald has done in his time as the defacto No. 1 during Kiprusoff’s time on the sidelines, it’s hard to envision him as the main man going forward this season. Sure, he could be the ideal backup, but that appears to be the upside for the affable netminder claimed via waivers from the Detroit Red Wings.

As for Danny Taylor, Leland Irving and even Barry Brust — the netminder signed to an AHL deal serving the Abbotsford Heat — none have proven they are sure-fire NHLers.

Besides, next season the Flames should be looking at a minor-league tandem of Joni Ortio, the 2009 draft choice currently playing in Finland, and 2011 draftee Laurent Brossoit, currently with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings.

Ortio, who’ll be 22 in April, had a rough go in limited AHL action last season, but appears to have put his game back together in his homeland, while Brossoit, who’ll turn 20 this month, appears ready to try his hand at the next level.

Gillies’ time is coming in the future, but it’s looking brighter every day.

A third-round pick last year, Gillies has climbed the charts by leaps and bounds during his freshman season at Providence College. He’s not only putting up outstanding numbers for the Friars, but also was an out-of-the-blue member of the gold-medal winning U.S. world junior team.

Having just turned 19 in January, though, the 6-foot-5 Gillies is still considered at least a year or two away from turning pro.

So, when all is said and done, the Flames goaltending picture is as murky as their future as a franchise.

The potential for better days is ahead, but nobody knows how or when it’ll happen.

Flames goaltending future unclear

Among them was his praise for goalie Miikka Kiprusoff in the middle of the 2011-12 season after being asked about the possibility of trading away his No. 1 netminder.

“If we were to trade 34 (Kiprusoff), is there a position lower than 30th?,” was Feaster’s reply just over a year ago. “If we were to trade 34, we’d be sub-30, whatever that number is in a 30-team league.”

A year later, though, the Flames are coming to a crossroads.

Kiprusoff, who’s currently nearing a return from a knee injury suffered Feb. 5, has one more season on his contract after this year before becoming an unrestricted free agent. The 36-year-old netminder no longer has a no-trade clause, and a trade could really kick start a rebuild for the floundering team, which is awfully close to 30th even with him in the fold.

The problem is knowing whether the Flames have a legitimate goalkeeper to take over between the p